An illustration of a red caterpillar munching on a globe.
An illustration of a red caterpillar munching on a globe.
María Contreras illustration for Foreign Policy

List of The Hungry Hegemon articles

The Hungry Hegemon

Where cuisine conquers all.

Welcome to the Hungry Hegemon, a recurring feature on the politics of food. In this series, Foreign Policy’s staff writers and contributors dig into topics including dining-centered diplomacy, the economics of culinary diasporas, battles over cultural appropriation, and nativist campaigns against foreign cuisines.

The articles below take a historical, geopolitical, or economic approach to food around the world.

An. illustration shows the back of a pickup laden with durian. One is cracked open with an odor waft coming out of it toward a Chinese flag at left. Palm trees frame the scene. The truck plate says Bangkok in Thai lettering.
An. illustration shows the back of a pickup laden with durian. One is cracked open with an odor waft coming out of it toward a Chinese flag at left. Palm trees frame the scene. The truck plate says Bangkok in Thai lettering.

The Rise of Durian Diplomacy

In Asia, soft power rests on a divisive, spiky fruit.

Analysis
Gloria Dickie
An illustration shows a zoomed-in view of the peel of a banana with a Chiquita sticker on it peeling off. Black images on the peel show workers striking, worker gloves and other gear.
An illustration shows a zoomed-in view of the peel of a banana with a Chiquita sticker on it peeling off. Black images on the peel show workers striking, worker gloves and other gear.

Bananas, After the Strike

Labor strife, climate shocks, and Chiquita’s uneasy return mark a new chapter for Panama’s banana industry.

Analysis
Cristina Guevara
An illustration shows Xi Jinping sitting at a table covered with a red cloth. He cuts a plate and dumpling in half with giant scissors. Other fractured plates and chopsticks litter the table around him.
An illustration shows Xi Jinping sitting at a table covered with a red cloth. He cuts a plate and dumpling in half with giant scissors. Other fractured plates and chopsticks litter the table around him.

Xi Jinping’s War on Dinner Is Hurting China’s Economy

An anti-corruption campaign is chilling consumption.

Argument
Lizzi C. Lee
An illustration depicts the lead in the TV show Careme, dressed as a chef, putting a Napoleon shaped hat on a tower of desserts. He flicks whipped cream with his other hand and winks.
An illustration depicts the lead in the TV show Careme, dressed as a chef, putting a Napoleon shaped hat on a tower of desserts. He flicks whipped cream with his other hand and winks.

The French TV Show That Turns Souffle Into Statecraft

“Carême” gives an international audience what it wants: rich food, lusty romps, and Napoleon.

Review
Jordan Hoffman
An illustration shows a coffeepot in the center of a sea of coffee with an American hand poking out of it. In the sea of coffee are four coffee cups with various figures floating in them with spoons as oars.
An illustration shows a coffeepot in the center of a sea of coffee with an American hand poking out of it. In the sea of coffee are four coffee cups with various figures floating in them with spoons as oars.

How Americans Learned to Love Coffee

The beginnings of a beautiful friendship.

Review
Bronwen Everill
A drawn illustration showing traditional Gujarati food on the left and meat dishes on the right. Hands reach from either side to pull at the green tablecloth to hide and push aside the meat offerings.
A drawn illustration showing traditional Gujarati food on the left and meat dishes on the right. Hands reach from either side to pull at the green tablecloth to hide and push aside the meat offerings.

When Vegetarians Become Vigilantes

Strict dietary edicts have spawned a wave of hostility toward meat-eaters in Modi’s India.

Analysis
Salil Tripathi
An illustration shows Donald Trump in a blue suit shaking hands with a manin a green pinstriped suit. Between them is a waiter uncovering a silver tray that their hands reach across.
An illustration shows Donald Trump in a blue suit shaking hands with a manin a green pinstriped suit. Between them is a waiter uncovering a silver tray that their hands reach across.

Trump Can Work Dinner Deals Without Leaving Home

The U.S. can lead the way in culinary diplomacy—at Mar-a-Lago.

Argument
Johanna Mendelson Forman
An illustration shows hands holding chopsticks and a spoon with a soup dumpling in it over a large blow. Inside the bowl is a Taipei cityscape with lanterns and semiconductor chips coming out of it.
An illustration shows hands holding chopsticks and a spoon with a soup dumpling in it over a large blow. Inside the bowl is a Taipei cityscape with lanterns and semiconductor chips coming out of it.

Soup Dumplings as Soft Power

Din Tai Fung has become a potent global symbol of Taiwan, at a time when the island sorely needs it.

Analysis
Rishi Iyengar
An illustration shows a white couple whispering to each other inside a fenced backyard as they grill burgers. A dog sits next to them. Passing in the background is a Haitian family.
An illustration shows a white couple whispering to each other inside a fenced backyard as they grill burgers. A dog sits next to them. Passing in the background is a Haitian family.

How Weaponizing Food Helps Trump Win Votes

From the Irish to Italians and Chinese, food has long been used to define who is—or isn’t—a “real American.”

Analysis
Fabio Parasecoli
An illustration shows Syrian-born cook Chef Omar holding a shawarma in front of a kitchen counter. Behind him are figures lining up for food at left and refugees on the move at right The building-covered skyline of Istanbul (left) and the rubble-filled skyline of Aleppo (right) are seen farther in the background.
An illustration shows Syrian-born cook Chef Omar holding a shawarma in front of a kitchen counter. Behind him are figures lining up for food at left and refugees on the move at right The building-covered skyline of Istanbul (left) and the rubble-filled skyline of Aleppo (right) are seen farther in the background.

The Influencer Chef Dividing Syria’s Diaspora

Chef Omar has popularized Damascene cuisine online and in his Istanbul restaurant. But is he linked to the Assad regime?

Dispatch
Joshua Levkowitz
A Uyghur family gathers for a meal during the Corban Festival in Xinjiang province, China.
A Uyghur family gathers for a meal during the Corban Festival in Xinjiang province, China.

China Is Trying to Remake Uyghur Kitchens

Traditional food is painted as backward and dirty—except for tourists.

Argument
Timothy Grose
A top-down view of a number of Taiwanese dishes on a dark table.
A top-down view of a number of Taiwanese dishes on a dark table.

Taiwan’s Dinner Table Diplomacy

One of the courses at Lai Ching-te’s inauguration banquet is rumored to be a playful nod to Xi Jinping.

Dispatch
Clarissa Wei